BBE Mind Bender

Based on the Boss VB-2 Vibrato and Way Huge Blue Hippo chorus, the Mind Bender ($209 retail/$149 street) uses analog bucket-brigade circuitry to generate a variety of warm modulation textures. The unit features Speed and Depth controls along with dual footswitches for Vibrato/Chorus and bypass. A pair of LEDs indicate

Based on the Boss VB-2 Vibrato and Way Huge Blue Hippo chorus, the Mind Bender ($209 retail/$149 street) uses analog bucket-brigade circuitry to generate a variety of warm modulation textures. The unit features Speed and Depth controls along with dual footswitches for Vibrato/Chorus and bypass. A pair of LEDs indicate the selected effect, and a third LED pulses in time with the speed rate. The Mind Bender’s 9-volt battery is easily accessible via a flip-open hatch on the bottom of the aluminum enclosure, and a 2.1mm jack is also provided for use with the included power adapter.

The Mind Bender is a powerful effector that can deliver sweet, rich chorusing to effects that replicate the blurry swirl of a rotary speaker. The Depth control is extremely potent, and its abundant range quickly moves you past syrupy chorus sounds to pitch-shifted textures that truly challenge the definition of “chorus.” Likewise, the Vibrato mode offers relatively gentle pitch massaging at Depth settings below 9 ’o clock, but rapidly sails into a rolling sea of pitch-bend queasiness as you advance the Depth knob. Not surprisingly, the Speed range is very generous as well, providing for extremely fast or slow textures in chorus or vibrato mode.